Why Choose Feedly?

Now that we've all had some time to process the fact that our beloved Google Reader will soon be closing its doors forever, I thought I'd put together a post that introduces bloggers to one of the alternative aggregate readers: Feedly.

In my opinion, Feedly is the best replacement available for Google Reader. Everyone should use the aggregate reader that best fits their own personal needs, and fortunately there are plenty of options out there if Feedly doesn't seem to be the best fit for you. But let's go over some of the features that Feedly offers, so that you can learn a little about Feedly and begin to decide if it might work for you.

To get started learning about Feedly, you can visit their site directly via the link above. There is a wealth of information available on the Feedly blog. You can also follow Feedly on Twitter.

Now, let's talk about some of the things I love about Feedly.

Perhaps the single most compelling reason to make the switch from Google Reader to Feedly? You can import all of the blogs you already follow into Feedly - and it's beyond easy to do. 

After you install Feedly, when you open it the first time it will give you the option to connect to Google Reader. Click on "Login" and log into your Google account. Next, Feedly will ask you to allow access to your data in Google Reader. If you select "allow access", Feedly will immediately transfer all of your subscriptions from Google Reader into Feedly. It will also keep all of your subscriptions sorted into their existing categories!

Another compelling feature of Feedly is the (free!) mobile application which syncs across your computer, phone and tablet. 

Below are some screenshots from my Feedly app. Notice that the app cleanly displays your blog categories, with easy click through to first a specific category and then a particular blog.

The Type A personality in me loves how clean and organized this is.

        

The app is simple and fun to use, with minimal tapping and swiping to navigate to the areas you need. It's inherently intuitive: open it up and spend just a few minutes playing with it and you'll quickly learn a lot. When you start using the app, it will give you simple instructions and shortcuts like this:

Let's talk about some of the simple things you can do within the Feedly application.

You can easily "share" content via Faceboook, Twitter, Google+, or email by clicking on the arrow seen at the top right of the following picture:

After you click on the arrow, various social media icons will appear, as seen below. Simply click on the icon for the media platform with which you mean to share the content.

When viewing a particular post, you may wish to bookmark it to return to later. Click the bookmark icon at the top right (shown below in green) and Feedly will mark the post as saved and add it to your saved posts. Bookmarked in error? Simply click the bookmark again, and Feedly will remove the bookmark.

    

You can search for new blogs to follow, by browsing one of the following categories or simply entering a key word or phrase into the search bar. I've found great new book review blogs to follow by entering terms like "book review", "book blogger", and "Young Adult books" into the search bar. Play around with it! Enter some of your interests and hobbies and see what comes up. You may stumble upon something really great.

Sometimes after a time you will find that you are no longer interested in following certain blogs. If you decide you want to stop following a particular blog, you can go into "Settings" (located at the bottom of your list of categories) and easily delete feeds to stop following them. 

First, go into Settings. Tap "Edit Content", and you will see "Remove" and "Cancel" buttons pop up under your list of categories. From here, you can click on a particular category and see all of the content listed under that category (as seen in the third picture). Check the box for the feed(s) you want to stop following, and click "remove". 

      

Looking to change something besides which content you follow? Go to "Settings", and then "Advanced Settings". From here you can easily customize the look and feel of your Feedly application.

Overall I personally find Feedly to be a great substitute for Google Reader. In fact, once I moved past my initial disappointment over losing my tried and true Google Reader, I discovered that in many ways I actually prefer Feedly. It has a clean, modern look that I think many people with an interest in blogging and social media will appreciate. It is incredibly easy to navigate, and has plenty of options for customization. I love that the computer, app and tablet versions all sync so that no matter which device I am using, my content is there. All in all I would consider my transition from Google Reader to Feedly to be complete at this point, and I'm very happy with the change.

Dying to know even more about Feedly? The following posts contain 

great information surrounding Feedly's various features:

The Verge has a great post which cites Feedly as "the best overall reader". 

I'm a longtime reader of Jessica Lawlor's blog and I think she's done a great job summarizing the  many features of Feedly.  

Nancy from Tumbling Books also has a great post, in which she touches on Feedly's excellent customer service.

Have you looked into replacements for Google Reader yet? Are there any besides Feedly that you would recommend?

Getting Into Google Reader

One tool that I rely quite heavily on as a blogger is Google Reader. Google Reader is essentially an online mailbox that keeps all of the blogs you read in one central location. After adding the blogs you want to follow, you can sort them into categories to make it easier to quickly find the one you want to read.

For example, in my Google Reader the blogs that I follow are sorted into the following categories: Authors, Book Blogs, Cooking Blogs, EDUC 584, Favorite Bloggers, Gym Inspiration, and Friends & Family. Each time I log into my Google Reader, I can quickly find the blog that I am in the mood to read at that particular moment. Google Reader has a nice mobile version if you happen to have a smart phone - I often catch up on my blog reading when I have some time to kill waiting in line at the store, or if I arrive early meeting a friend for dinner. I will even log in on my phone while at the gym if I need a distraction from my workout!

The only "danger" in reading blogs via Google Reader - especially if doing so on your phone - is that it can be easy to forget to actually click through to the blog and leave a comment. In my opinion, leaving meaningful comments on posts and involving yourself in the online community is a crucial part of blogging. Reading posts is worthwhile in and of itself, and I certainly don't feel obligated to comment on every post that I read - far from it. However, I do think that the back-and-forth that comes in the comments section of a blog post is a really valuable part of the blogging experience.

One thing I learned while reading Richardson's chapter on RSS is that within Google Reader, you can enter search terms to help you find blogs of particular interest to you. Although I have used Google Reader for years now to organize the blogs I read, somehow I never knew about this particular feature. After I read Richardson's chapter on RSS, I immediately tested this feature out and promptly discovered a new book review blog to follow! I will definitely be experimenting further with this feature in the future.

From a classroom perspective, this feature could be extremely valuable to students searching for blogs that match up with their interests. I would introduce Google Reader and its various features to my students as part of an introduction to blogging.

In short, Google Reader is the perfect tool for anyone who reads more than a handful of blogs on a regular basis, and it is the only reason I am consistently up to date with all of the blogs that I follow (a lot!).

Do you use Google Reader (or something similar)? How do you think you might advise students to use it, if at all?

What's In a Blog?

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So you want to start a blog, or you've decided that you want your students to start a blog. What now?!

Personally, I would strongly suggest starting a personal blog on a topic about which you yourself have an interest or knowledge base.  Write reviews of your favorite books, chronicle your attempts at cooking new vegetarian recipes, or create an online journal of the crazy things your kids do. If you create a blog about something you are passionate about, you will find it much easier to find the motivation and inspiration to actually write. You will find yourself eager to work on your new project, to explore different features and to find other bloggers with shared interests to interact with. When you have done all of this, you will have a basic understanding of why and how we blog, and you will be better able to introduce the concept of blogging to your students.

In chapter 3 of Richardson's text, he makes the argument that, much as teachers of writing should write themselves, teachers of blogging should blog themselves. It sets a good example for the students, and it hones the teacher's own skill set. A teacher who blogs consistently will be better able to effectively teach her students how to use blogs as educational tools.

I also agree with Richardson's suggestion of starting small with classroom blogs and building on skills throughout the year. I think Richardson makes a fantastic suggestion when he recommends that teachers provide students with a list of blogs to read and explore, as a way of familiarizing students with the concept of blogging. I would think carefully about which blogs I included on that list, and really make an effort to connect with the interest areas of my students. I might include blogs like Cat vs. Human, Post Secret, or It's Like I'm Magic. I might even conduct an interest survey of the class before creating the list of blogs for students to explore. Finding blogs that will genuinely interest students is a great way to make their introduction to the world of blogging a positive experience.

At the outset of the school year, I think the classroom blog should primarily be a place where students can go to look for important information. Throughout the school year, teachers can slowly increase students' involvement with the blog, so that by the end of the year students are comfortably responding to the teacher's posts, creating their own posts and engaging in meaningful conversation via comments.

What are some ways that you think you might introduce the topic of blogs to your classroom? How would you get your students excited about reading blogs and blogging themselves?

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